Carolina Poodle Rescue

Your new companion has been eating twice per day. We serve a blend of several different brands of dry food. We add a small amount of water to the kibble and a very small amount of canned pedigree. You have been given approximately 2 days of kibble (dry) food. We serve the dogs their meals at about 9 am and about 6 pm each day. We suggest that you continue with a a twice per day feeding schedule (mornings and evenings – or when you eat breakfast and when you eat dinner).

The following are excellent foods:

• Natural Balance – found at most specialty pet
• stores or online.
• Pedigree – found at most grocery stores.
• Fromm – can be ordered online
• *Purina One Lamb and Rice or Sensitive
• Systems – available at grocery stores.

To change foods, do so gradually. Use a 10% switch daily for 10 days. In other words, on day one feed 90% what we are feeding and 10% of what you would like to feed. On day two, feed 20% of what you would like to feed and 80% of what we feed. Continue this change for 10 days until you companion is on the food you prefer to feed. Switching foods too quickly causes upset Stomachs.

We highly recommend that you supplement your pet’s food. Dry kibble forever is boring. Remember to use only high quality foods such as you would eat. Dogs are highly allergic to grapes, raisins, avocados, onions and chocolate. Never give your pet these foods. Foods they enjoy include low fat, plain yogurt, peanut butter, and almost any kind of cheese, chicken, rice, gravy and broth. Please remember to keep your new companion’s ratio of treats in the same ratio that you would eat. For instance, a 10 lb toy poodle will thrive with ½ teaspoon of yogurt or ½ tablespoon of peanut butter. Any more would make for an unhappy and overweight poodle!

It takes 30 days to successfully implement good habits in dogs and humans. In order to ensure a smooth transition for your new pet, we highly recommend that you continue the crate training that we have started. Crates provide your dog a safe place, away from the hustle and bustle of the household and a place to go to if life gets to be too much. In addition, at many times in their lives, pets must be crated for their own safety. A dog who is comfortable in their crate will be much happier during these times. Crates are NOT cages. They are more like play pens or cribs offering your pet a safe haven where they can have toys and treats, nap and be safe from the hazards our normal homes can offer.

We recommend that for the first 30 days, your new companion is never out of your direct line of sight. Dogs can not recognize reprimand after the fact. They live in the moment and only learn if you stop them from doing something wrong when they are doing it. This especially applies to house training. If you stop an accident from happening, then redirect your dog to where you want him to go, your chances of the dog learning the lesson are much greater. If you can not be watching your new dog, then we highly suggest that he be in his crate.

Take your new dog out several times in the first 30 days. Suggested times are

1. First thing in the morning
2. Approximately 30 minutes after each meal (and each meal should be eaten in his crate)
3. At noon
4. Right before bed.

Take your new dog to the same spot in your yard that you want to be the “potty stop” and stand there with him until he is finished. During the time that your new dog is urinating or defecating where you want him to, tell him “good dog” and say the phrase that you want him to associate with urinating or defecating. We use “do your business” but any words will do as long as you are consistent and say them every time. When your dog finishes, call him to you and give him a treat. He will associate all of these things together as good things (potty, get praise, go straight to Mom, get a treat) and it becomes a pleasant experience for everyone.

If you take your dog out and he does not urinate or defecate after 10 minutes, bring him back in and put him back in his crate and try again in 30 minutes. Remember that your new dog has not had experience in pottying while on a leash at Dreamweaver Farms. He will not understand at first that you expect this. Be patient. Eventually nature will take its course. It is not unusual for a new dog to not potty for 24 to 36 hours after going to a new home. Don’t be alarmed at this. If he goes 2 full days, then call so we can discuss options and why this could be happening.

Dreamweaver Farms is a multiple dog/free range environment. This means the dogs have access to each other and share the same play yard. Just as a cold will go through a day care center or school, in our home the dogs unfortunately can share a few germs, too. Intestinal parasites are our enemies and we deworm regularly. However, we recommend that within 3 to 4 weeks you have a routine fecal check done by your vet just in case. Please let your vet know this is what we do here the first week of each month (it takes 3 days to deworm the entire property).

• Ivermectin (1 mL per 10 lbs)
• Pyrantal pomoate (1 mL per 10 lbs)

Your new dog was given a bath on adoption day or within the previous 5 days, depending on surgery schedules. Please start a flea and tick preventative program within 2 days of arriving home.

Your new dog has been sleeping in a crate. The kennel dogs go to bed each evening between 9 pm and 9:30 pm We open the kennel at approximately 8 am each morning in the winter and 7 am in the summer. Naptime after their meal is between noon and 3 pm.

Your new dog may not have any experience with walking on a leash. Please be patient with him. Practice will allow him to learn this skill. We highly recommend using a harness instead of collar to teach your new companion leash walking. It is much more comfortable for both of you. We do NOT recommend extension leashes.

The first week is the most challenging and difficult for any pet. Imagine you were dropped onto an island paradise in the Pacific Ocean. It would be beautiful but your chance of speaking the native language is slight. You would not know how to ask for the simplest things like water or the bathroom. Your pet is in the same situation.

Your new pet doesn’t have a verbal language but they have an extensive knowledge of body language. For the first week, your new pet is working hard trying to watch you and figure out what you mean by what you do. Be consistent, be patient and be kind and your pet will learn what you want and quickly.

Carolina Poodle Rescue dogs are not guaranteed free of parasites. While we deworm regularly, we also know that in a multiple dog environment, parasites are easily transmitted from dog to dog through the ground.

Nationwide, we’re also seeing an extremely resistant strain of hookworms that is not responding to normal deworming protocols without multiple dewormings, sometimes for several months.

9 out of 10 dogs that come to us are coming in with hookworms. Please share this with your veterinarian.  Please take a fecal sample from your newly adopted dog within 14 days of adoption to your vet for analysis and, if it is positive, please take appropriate steps.

Additional information may be found online:

https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/parasitology/drug-resistant-hookworms-in-north-america/

https://www.aaha.org/trends-magazine/april-2024/resistance-on-the-rise/

Thank you in advance for understanding that we are dealing with a nationwide problem.  We need your help to get your new dog healthy as possible.